


LOTUS

by StoriesAndMagic



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 00:52:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12594364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoriesAndMagic/pseuds/StoriesAndMagic
Summary: Sakuraiba fairy tale where Sho is a troubled soul and Masaki is sunshine. Plus, kami Kazunari.





	1. The Lotus

**Author's Note:**

> Hisaishi and his wonderful music are to blame for this. My first attempt at Arashi fan fiction.

Sakurai Sho was handsome, well educated, intelligent and very rich. He had everything but he was lacking tears. He couldn’t cry anymore after crying non-stop for the death of one of his friends. She had been brave and battled an illness for a long time but now the grim shinigami had come and taken her away.

Sakurai Sho had everything but he had no ikikata, no way of life. He just survived, went with the flow. Each day the same: wake up, work, drinks with acquaintances, back home, sleep. That is, if he could sleep because most nights he couldn’t, his mind filled with sadness, memories and things to do. His life was a constant wait-for-tomorrow. But tomorrow came and tomorrow left and nothing had changed.

 

His father’s company was in his hands. A few friends, no significant other and a mother who pressured him to get married and form a family as soon as possible. Sho didn’t want that. Maybe he wanted it a long ago, but now nothing made sense. His life was buried in mud, its roots clawing at the detritus. 

That Sunday morning, very early, he woke up and went for a stroll on the beach. The ocean so blue and sparkly gave him a sense of peace. He was wearing a tee and shorts, he took his trainers off and put his feet in the water. It was cold but it filled him with warmth, something comfortable setting in his heart. He longed for that freedom he was seeing in front of him: the freedom of the ocean and the seagulls and the waves moving in their constant dance. 

……………………………..

 

Masaki was asleep, as usual. The depths of the ocean his favourite spot. Something woke him up. The music coming from the island, it was epic music with a lot of fanfare but also very sad, like that of a troubled soul. His kind of mission. Masaki was a Water Traveller, a spirit that lived and travelled through water and was destined to help humans. Human souls produced music, like the Universe did, and Masaki was able to hear that music no matter where he was. He felt compelled to help those whose music touched him so he rose from the sea and walked across the sand towards that poor weeping soul there.

 

……………………………..

 

Sho was staring at the space in front of him, mind blank and sighing desperately. A husky voice startled him.  
\- You’re not killing yourself, aren’t you?  
A naked man was standing by his side with a luminous smile on his face while looking at him.  
\- What the…? Are you a pervert or something?  
The man shook his head.  
\- My name is Masaki and I’ve come to help you.  
Sho sat on the sand to put his trainers back on with the intention of running away as soon as possible.  
Masaki shrugged.  
\- I guess I need to find some clothes first.  
Sho felt an impulse to start laughing hard at that moment. He didn’t know why and couldn’t quite contain a little smile.  
\- This is ridiculous. – He said. Then, he turned and stepped away from the weird man.  
\- I’m a Water Traveller, I’ll find you.  
Those were the last words Sho heard while walking away from there. Once back home, he tried to forget what happened but phoned security to make sure the man wasn’t a stalker. That was the last thing he needed in his life. After showering and switching on the TV to really focus on nothing, he sighed and said to himself: ‘it’s going to be another long and lonely Sunday’.


	2. The Water Traveller

Tokyo was a huge city, busy, exciting and full of lights that always erased the bits of darkness inhabiting it. Masaki walked the crowded streets smiling and marvelling at everything. He was fascinated by the Tokyo Tower, felt a surge of energy inside him in Shibuya and played like a little kid in almost all the city parks. He had a mission, he hadn’t forgotten it but he had to learn about the environment where that sad soul was living, breathing, existing. He was thinking about paying a visit to Fujisan but it was getting dark and he had to go and meet Sho again.

The building was tall, imposing, like one of those milenial trees in foreign lands. There was a small fountain in front of it; the birds came to wash their feathers and drink. He waited with arms crossed, observing the men and women entering and exiting the building, hearing the music all their souls produced. Some of those humans stared at him; others showed a mix of enjoyment and disdain at his presence. He was certainly out of place there but he didn’t mind.

Sho ran out of the building like an animal fleeing from danger, Masaki almost missed him. He was suited up and carrying a briefcase: the perfect image of a business man. Masaki grabbed him by the shoulder making him stop.  
\- You’re faster than Kazu kami.  
Sho looked him up and down.   
\- You! What the…?  
\- My name is Aiba Masaki, nice to meet you. – Masaki shook the hand of a bewildered Sho.  
\- I don’t know who you are or what you want and, frankly, I don’t care. I need to go. – Sho pointed at a nice black car parked nearby.  
\- Can we at least talk?   
\- No.   
Sho resumed his quick walking and Masaki decided to follow him.  
\- You’re like a dragonfly. Fast and elegant.  
Sho stopped and turned around.  
\- Listen, I really don’t want to call security but you’re stalking me so I’ll have to.  
\- I just want to talk. We can go to a bar, drink some beer and I’ll tell you my motives. Give me a chance. Even better, give yourself a chance.  
Sho looked at him and started laughing without even thinking.  
\- What are you wearing?  
Masaki shrugged.  
\- Clothes.  
That reply only made Sho laugh even harder. His chauffer who had got out the car approached him.  
\- Are you okay, Sakurai-san?  
\- Perfectly fine, don’t worry. – He wiped the tears from his eyes. For some reason, he was feeling joy, something he had never felt in a long time. He didn’t want to analise it, he just let himself feel it. – Go home, Hayano, I’m drinking tonight with my friend.  
Masaki smiled the most brightest smile Sho had ever seen.   
\- I like chances so I’m taking it. – he said.

And the two of them headed towards a little cozy beerhouse not far from there. Sho remembered he used to go there years ago, when everything was less complicated. It seemed the right place for a talk.


	3. Smile Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit of Sakumoto in this chapter. The characters brought me there.

Sakurai Sho had gentle eyes. Aiba Masaki couldn’t stop staring at them from the other side of the table they were sitting at. The place was small but had a nice atmosphere and the souls of the people gathered there produced soft, relaxing music. The waitress served them pints. Masaki’s head felt light after drinking his.  
\- I didn’t think I could ever get drunk.  
Sho was getting impatient.  
\- Okay. What was that that you wanted to talk about?  
\- Your smile. – Masaki replied nonchalantly.  
Sho looked at him incredously.  
\- You have a beautiful smile. And beautiful eyes. – He continued.  
Sho got up.  
\- I’ve had enough! I have work to do so I’m leaving. Beer’s on me….  
Masaki grabbed him by the wrist.  
\- You said you liked taking chances.  
\- But you’re flirting and I don’t want to hook up with you. Or anybody for that matter.  
Masaki smiled softly.  
\- You always think people have ulterior motives. And you think you don’t deserve to be loved, that’s why you’re sad.  
Sho’s mouth tightened. But he kept listening to that husky, mesmerising voice.  
\- I’m not who you think I am. I’m a Water Traveller, a spirit of water. I hear the music of human souls. I know a lot about you.  
Masaki hesitated for a moment. Sho was speechless. He sat back and fixed his eyes on the wooden table.  
\- There’s so much sorrow and sadness in your soul. It’s not fair. I’m here to bring you happiness. It’s my mission, you’re my mission.  
For some reason, Sho’s memory went back to his teenage years. To that wide, crooked smile and those big eyes full of wonder.  
\- His name was Jun, isn’t it? – Masaki asked him just to prove that he knew. – You loved him and he adored you.  
A sharp flash of pain bit his insides. Sho wanted to scream, to run away but couldn’t move. He was sure that what was happening wasn’t real, that it was probably one of those paralysing nightmares. He was going to wake up at any moment.  
\- You were so happy then. Why did everything change? Why you, humans, change so much?  
The nightmare brought him back to his high school days. Jun always by his side. The future didn’t exist in their minds, only the present moment. They studied together, went out together, caring about nothing. How was that phrase he read somewhere?  
\- Here is El Dorado. – Sho mumbled under his breath.  
\- Exactly! – Masaki shouted so loud, the people at the beerhouse stared disapprovingly.  
The Water Traveller held Sho’s hands in his.  
\- We’re going to find it. The 'here'.  
\- You can’t help me. Nobody can.  
Sho said it out loud, he believed it. He and Jun were just teenagers in love, naïve boys, who didn’t know anything about life or the world. But it was in the past, past didn’t exist either.  
\- You don’t understand – he continued but stopped. – Am I going insane?  
Masaki laughed out loud, a sound annoying at first, but terribly cute when heard properly. Sho’s eyes opened up and looked at the water spirit. He was shocked, surprised, as if a bolt of lightning had struck him.  
\- You are kawaii! – He told Masaki without even realising it.  
Masaki laughed even more but tried to cover his mouth with one hand. That didn’t avoid the angry looks of the other customers, though.  
\- And you are crazy, Sakurai-san!  
The Water Traveller got up, bowed to the staff and clients and took Sho by the hand to exit the place.  
\- I think we have to pay a visit to Fujisan. It’s been ages since last time.  
Sho stopped dead on his tracks.  
\- Not today. – He said. He remembered his excursion with Jun a long time ago. The epicness of it, the rain, the laughter, the joy. – It’s dark and I’m tired.  
Masaki agreed. Sho called a taxi to get back home and when he realised it, Masaki was sitting right by his side, inside the car, looking out the window to see the moon.


	4. We Are Cool.

Everything was white. The walls, the few furniture, the doors, even the wood that was the floor was whitish. Masaki couldn’t stand still, he was roaming around the rooms, open mouthed, touching the surfaces and smiling broadly. Sho was in the bathroom preparing his evening bath. He needed to wash away the tension, the weirdness of it all. He shook his head, what was he doing? Why was that strange creature inside his house? That creature came running and jumped on his bed.  
\- Even your duvet and cushions are white! It reminds me of sea foam. It’s so comfortable to sleep on it. You should try it one day. Or the ocean bottom, sand there is the purest white and so soft to lay on.  
Sho shut the bathroom door. He didn’t want to listen to him. He knew he was speaking the truth but everything was so impossible. He was a business man, he was a realist, pragmatic, he didn’t need that foolishness.  
\- But you do need it!  
Sho had submerged himself in hot water, jasmine perfume engulfing his senses and making him drowsy. He could hear Masaki’s voice from the other room.  
\- Water purifies. Cleanse yourself and sleep tight afterwards. I’ve seen the small stream in your little zen garden outside, it’ll be a nice place for me to stay.  
Sho smirked.  
\- Do you really think you are who you say you are, don’t you?- He shouted out loud so Masaki could hear him.  
\- I am who I am. It’s you who isn’t who you say you are. Nighty night.  
Sho shrugged and closed his eyes. After a long while, he got out of the bath, put on a robe and entered his bedroom. Masaki wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the rest of the house either nor in the garden. Sho hadn’t heard the sound of the front gates opening. He shrugged again. He wasn’t worried, he knew Masaki would be back in the morning.

 

Mount Fuji had a low voice, very similar to that of a baritone. When it spoke all the city of Tokyo trembled and Sho could feel the tremors under his feet. Mount Fuji was speaking to him, sternly, like his father used to. Another strange creature was standing by his side: a young man of childlike features, black disheveled hair and extravagant clothes.  
\- If you love him you have to kiss him, that will make him human.  
Sho wasn’t sure if that quote came from Mount Fuji or the creature. Who was ‘him’ anyway? While he pondered that, he slipped and fell on the ground. It wasn’t soil but water, cold and cristaline, as if a milion diamonds had formed a lake.

 

 

Sho woke up slighty startled.  
\- Holy Hell! That was one bizarre dream!  
The pinkish lights of dawn were already making their way across darkness, their fingers reaching out to the world. Sho got up of the bed and went to the kitchen to make coffee. He needed something to eat, it was probably his empty stomach which provoked such a dream.   
He checked his schedule for the day while having breakfast. A meeting with Yamamoto-san, one of the partners of his father, shopping for the birthday present for his mother’s upcoming birthday…..Sho covered his face with his hands and sighed. Everything was so complicated.  
\- You met him last night, didn’t you?  
That familiar voice again. Sho turned around. The Water Traveller was standing at the door frame.  
\- What? How? Where?  
\- You know it. I travel through water.   
Masaki approached the kitchen counter, took one oniguiri and proceeded to eat it.  
\- These are delicious! I saw your dream last night. – He spoke with his mouth full of rice and tuna. – He was there.  
Sho was rendered speechless again.  
\- Kazu kami. He talked to you.  
Sho kept staring at Masaki without saying a word.  
\- I don’t mind you looking at me like that, you’re beautiful, but your eyes are going to pop out of your head.  
Then, Sho started to laugh, to really laugh. The way he used to laugh when he was a kid or a teenager in love. That laughter that brings tears to the eyes, tears of joy, of sheer happiness.  
\- You know what? – He said – Screw Yamamoto-san, screw my mother’s birthday. I’m taking the day off.  
Masaki applauded, grabbed Sho’s agenda and threw it away.  
\- We go and visit Fujisan! – He shouted out.  
Sho made the necessary phone calls, picked comfortable clothes and shoes and decided they would cycle across the city.


	5. Eyes with delight.

They had arrived to one of the forests located in the city outskirts.Tall bamboo trees, stairs made of trunks that climbed the soft hills towards the sky, towards unknown places. The grass was greener than Sho remebered and it smelled of something positive, of freshness and rain and water. Sho sensed the water everywhere: in the tiny white clouds above him, in the soil running like blood in the Earth veins, in the coolnes of the air he was breathing. Spring was giving way to Summer and nature was getting ready for the warm embrace of the Sun. Masaki had dismounted from his bike and was squatting over a piece of grass, searching fervently for something. Sho observed him saying nothing. His long fringe falling over his eyes, his full lips pursed, Masaki was an image of concentration. And he was beautiful, very beautiful. Sho could feel his own cheeks flushing. He moved his eyes away from Masaki’s figure and pushed those thoughts down. He was an adult man, he was mature.  
\- What are you doing? – He finally asked.  
\- Looking for four-leaf clovers. I’m sure there are some here.  
He turned his face to Sho and smiled. That dimpled, precious smile. His dark eyes sparkled while he told Sho:  
\- Fujisan likes them. It’ll be a present for him.  
Sho remembered that weird dream for a moment . ‘If you love him…..’ those words resonating in his head. He shook it off.  
\- You do know that we can’t get to Mt. Fuji, right? It’s too far. We need a car for that.  
Masaki seemed disappointed.  
\- It’s always ‘can’t, can’t, can’t’ with you. - He continued with the search. \- What about exploring where those stairs go? - Sho pointed at them but Masaki wasn’t paying attention. He shrugged, parked his bike and walked towards them. He felt something strange when approaching that place. The buzzing of insects and the chirping of birds could be heard but no human voice or human noise. There were no humas nearby which was very odd as that particular forest was popular with tourists and Japanese citizens. Suddenly, an old lady appeared from nowhere walking down the stairs.  
She spoke with a soft voice and constantly giggled. She reminded him of his beloved grandmother. She took his hands and told him:  
\- He’s found you and you have found him. He was lonely down there in the bottom of the ocean. And you were lonely and sad up here. Now everything will be mended.  
Sho was speechless.  
\- Fuka-san!  
Masaki came running to them.  
\- Long time no see!  
They hugged and cheered.  
\- Are you two related? – Asked Sho shyly.  
\- Sort of. She is a Wind Traveller and she usually lives on the top of the hill.  
Fuka-san giggled when she saw Sho’s expression on his face. Sho was sure he was still in that bizarre dream and he would wake up sooner of later.  
\- You’ve got yourself a fine human, Saki. He’s gorgeous on the outside, kind on the inside and good hearted. A bit stubborn and skeptic but you can change him.  
Masaki laughed his wonderful laugh and Sho’s face softened. The old lady put his small hand on Sho’s chest.  
\- Loss is part of life. You lose something but you get another thing in return. Don’t let sorrow harden your heart nor despair froze your soul. Your friend wouldn’t want that. Jun-kun wouldn’t want that.  
Sho’s eyes filled with tears. How did she know? What the hell was happening to him? It was all so surreal, so impossible. But he was letting himself be carried, be led. After all, he had already lost a lot, he had nothing else to lose.

 

When he realised it, he was seated on the grass. His eyes puffed, his cheeks wet, his chest heaving but with a feeling of relief taking over his body. He had been crying for hours. The lights of the afternoon getting dim while the moon had already made itself comfortable over the horizon. Fuka-san was gone. Masaki was standing in front of him holding something between his fingers.  
\- I’ve found one four-leaf clover. – He told him when Sho looked up at him.  
\- You’re lucky. – Sho replied.  
Masaki offered him his other hand, Sho grabbbed it and stood up.  
\- I’m hopeless, aren’t I?  
Masaki shook his head.  
\- Fuka-san is right about you. Now let’s go back to the city. Tomorrow is another day.  
Before mounting their bikes again, Sho approached Masaki and told him:  
\- When we get home, don’t go and sleep in the stream or wherever it is you’re sleeping.  
Sho touched Masaki’s silky hair with the tips of his fingers.  
\- Sleep by my side, okay?


	6. Up To You

A thousand text messages from his mother, a thousand mails from his partners, some phone calls and voice mails. His secretary about to have a breakdown. He had had only a day off, only one, and it was as if the world were ending in his company. But Sho couldn’t concentrate, he could only daydream inside his office, relive again and again the events of the previous day. He had woken up early in the morning, like every day, but he had felt calm instead of rushed as usual. A pleasant warmth surrounded him and he remembered Masaki was asleep by his side, between his white sheets and duvet. His black hair on the pillow painting the image of a starless night over a snowy landscape.  
\- I didn’t know you were a poet. – Masaki had told him.  
\- I didn’t speak out loud, did I? – Sho replied.  
Masaki had shaken his head and smiled:  
\- I can read your mind.

 

He sipped on his coffee while avoiding answering the messages and mails. He looked outside the window at the nearby Tokyo Tower and then flicked through the newspaper on his desk. In the society pages, there was a picture of Jun. “Orchestra conductor Matsumoto-san married his European fiancée, violinist Gemma-san.” Jun-kun was successful. He loved music and had always had talent for it. His dreams came true. He found his ikikata a long time ago. And now he had found his true companion. But Sho didn’t feel sadness. What they felt for each other was just teenage love. Everything changes, everything evolves and nothing is forever. Jun was happy and that made Sho happy. He put the paper aside and tried to focus on his work. His secretary knocked and entered.

\- Sakurai-san, your friend has arrived.  
Sho raised his eyebrows.  
\- He said you have an appointment with him.  
Sho felt like laughing. He realised his friend couldn’t be other than Masaki. He excused himself and went to meet him at the lobby  
Surprisingly, the Water Traveller was dressed accordingly. Cute and casual: with a purple hoodie, jeans and Converse trainers. But, unsurprisingly, he was getting the attention of his father’s company employees because he was inspecting one of the plants in the big lobby: touching and caressing the wide leaves and talking to it.  
\- She feels a bit lonely, you know? – Masaki told him when Sho approached him. – You should put her in the garden with the other plants.  
Sho took him by the hand and rushed them out of the building.  
\- My co-workers are starting to think I’m going nuts.  
Masaki blinked:  
\- But you are. And there’s nothing wrong with it. Plus, you look cute when you put your finger over your temple and go all crosseyed.  
Sho laughed out loud and felt like hugging him but stopped himself.  
\- I haven’t done any work today and my phone is in airplane mode.  
\- That’s the attitude. – Masaki applauded.

They went to lunch at the ramen shop. But Masaki protested all the time because they had to sit side by side and couldn’t look at Sho’s eyes.  
Afterwards, the Water Traveller informed him he was going to roam around the city until the time to go back to Sho’s house. When Sho returned to his office, he asked his secretary to put the lobby plant in the garden. She seemed a bit weirded out by the request but did it.

 

It was almost time to leave. Sho had responded to a couple of mails but hadn’t communicated with his mother yet. His secretary announced to him that Yukimura-san wanted to see him inmediately. Yukimura-san was his main partner, a close friend of his parents and his father’s right hand man.  
Sho grabbed his briefcase and ran to Yukimura-san’s office. The old man seemed tired, worried, his usually stern face like a wall. Sho didn’t like the atmosphere. Yukimura-san could be quite severe although he was a fair man. Sho sat on the leather armchair as indicated but refused the drink that was offered.  
\- I just talked to your mother. – Yukimura-san’s voice was deep, strong, like Fujisan’s in that bizarro dream of his. – She is really worried about you. She hasn’t been able to contact you since last week.  
\- I’ve been very busy…..  
The old man stopped him with a hand gesture.  
\- That’s not true. You’ve been playing around, behaving weirdly and associating yourself with dubious people. We’re all wondering if you’re alright.  
Sho opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.  
\- You’re not the same since the passing of your friend. I understand she was important in your life and I don’t blame you. But this company needs strong men and women, it needs responsibility.  
Yukimura-san paced around the room, never once looking at Sho’s face.  
\- If you aren’t able to rule this company, mabe you should quit. Or take a year off if your health needs it.  
Reality came crashing down on Sho. He was a failure and this is what Yukimura-san was telling him. He was dishonouring his family name, and what was worse, he was disrespecting his deceased father. Those stupid distractions of the last days were doing him more harm than good.  
\- I’m so sorry, sir. I promise I’ll do my best starting tomorrow.  
\- No. – That word resonated across the room. – Take this week off. Rest and if you feel you need it, I can appoint you with the best psychiatrist in Tokyo.  
Sho looked up at him, pain in his face. They really believed he was crazy. Even his own mother. He obeyed like the good son he was and decided to quit during that week. That would help him to recollect himself and to decide on his next step.

 

When he arrived home, Masaki came running to him.  
\- There’s a really cool place in the city from where you can see the sunset and Fujisan swallowing the sun!  
\- Leave. – He even trembled at the cold tone of his own voice.  
\- What?  
\- Leave. Get out of here. Go back to the sea or wherever the hell it is you’re coming from.  
Masaki kept silent while looking at him with pain in his eyes.  
\- Leave! - Sho shouted.  
Masaki understood that Sho needed to be alone. He could hear the music coming from his soul: full of despair, sadness and incertainty. But underneath those dramatic fanfares, there was the sweet sound of a piano playing notes of hope. He agreed to leave the house but before doing it, he said to Sho:  
\- I’m going to sleep under the ocean sparks. They’re the stars of the sea. You can wish on them like you would with a star.


	7. Himitsu.

It was three days since Sho had thrown him out of the house. Masaki had gone to sleep up in the Hossawa Waterfalls, he didn’t want to go faraway from the city. In the mornings, he used to roam around Tokyo with no destination. He listened to the sweet sounds of the human souls and marvelled at every little detail in the streets. The weather getting warmer had brought the ladybirds to the parks and Masaki was having a lot of fun chasing them. That night he sat on the sand in front of the ocean trying to hear Sho’s thoughts but Sho had completely shut down. Masaki was worried, he didn’t know what Sho was doing, how he was feeling. His mission was getting really difficult. He sighed.  
\- Maybe I should go back down there. – He told to the reflection of the moon on the waves.  
\- You are not one to give up so easily. – A soft voice told him. Masaki knew that voice like his own. The boy sat by his side, legs crossed, small hands over his lap, a mischievous expression on his face.  
\- I don’t know, Kazu. He’s a tough one to crack. He doesn’t want to be helped.  
The moonlight painted the almond coloured eyes of the boy almost silver. Kazu kami was old, as old as the world itself, older than Fujisan and certainly older than the Water Traveller but he had the aspect of a teenager.  
\- Humans never want to be helped, they’re that arrogant. But you ended up helping them anyways. This one is different, though.  
Kazu kami smiled while putting his hand on his heart.  
\- You feel something. He feels something. He’s your One.  
Masaki laughed.  
\- How many Travellers have become human because of love?  
\- Countless!   
Masaki felt a sudden sadness and Kazu kami noticed it.  
\- We will still be friends. Travellers don’t lose their connection to the kami when they turn human, it’s just different.  
Masaki shrugged. He truly felt something for that idiotic Sakurai. His eyes were so gentle and kind that made him blush and when he laughed it was as if all the water on Earth chanted and rejoiced.  
Kazu kami was in deep thought when Masaki looked at him.   
\- Perhaps I can lend you a hand. – He finally said.  
\- You already did with that dream. – Replied the Traveller.  
\- I can go beyond that. – The kami got up and smirked at Masaki. The Traveller got a little bit weary.  
\- Don’t worry, I won’t hurt your precious Sho-chan. I will make him see. You stay away and let me do.  
With these words, the kami disappeared. Masaki lied down on the sand and looked at the stars.  
\- It feels good here and you’re as beautiful as Sho-chan's eyes. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Meanwhile Sho was determined to be a good son, a good partner and a good president of his father’s company. He had visited his mother and apologised to her, had organised with her the events for her upcoming birthday and agreed to call Dr. Asai for an appointment. He hadn’t slept much since Masaki left and thought that pills would be of help.

That night, he went out to dinner with some acquaitances and co-workers. He found himself constantly staring at the fountain in the garden of the restaurant. It was raining when they left, his chauffeur came to pick him up but he stood for a long while in front of the car watching a pool of water on the pavement.

Once inside his house, he took notice of all the white Masaki used to always refer to. Everything was so clean, so tidy, so soulless. Silence in the rooms, except for the raindrops hitting the windows. He showered and went to bed knowing another sleepless night was awaiting. He closed his eyes hearing Masaki’s laughter in his head but, then, a really loud noise startled him. As if something or someone had fallen on the wooden floor. Sho switched the lights on and looked around the bedroom. A boy with black hair, sparkly eyes and a cheeky smile was dusting his extravagant clothes off while getting up of the floor.  
\- I don’t like grand entrances but I had to do it to get your attention.  
Sho was reaching his phone to call security but tnen he remembered.  
\- You were in my dream!   
The boy grinned.  
\- Indeed. I’m Kazu kami. Nice to meet you in this world.  
Sho pursed his lips and frowned.  
\- Is this another bizarre dream?  
The kami snorted.  
\- Masaki is so right about you. You’re beautiful but thick headed. Like one of those rocks that hide in caves but are made of precious metals.  
Kazu sat at the feet of the bed. He observed how the expression on Sho’s face changed the instant he mentioned the Water Traveller.  
\- He’s gone. – He continued. – He went back to the bottom of the ocean as you ordered him.  
Sho was trying to pull himself together. Lack of sleep was making him emotional.  
\- Have you seen him? – He finally asked.  
Kazu knew he already had him in his hands. He was going to manipulate him and torn him apart.  
\- Of course.  
Sho hesitated for a moment.  
\- Is he alright? – He berated himself for sounding like a teen girl.  
\- He is. – Kazu crossed his arms and adopted a condescending posture. – And he’s not coming back. He has realised you don’t need him anymore. He will look for another person more worthy of his aid.  
The kami felt a bit bad when he saw the broken man in front of him. After all, he had promised Masaki not to hurt him.  
\- Unless… - He added. He put on a friendly face and relaxed his stance. – You decide you really need him.  
Sho’s eyes filled with hope but his mouth spoke another thing.  
\- Why would I need him? My life is as complicated as it is. He only complicates it more.  
One would think patience was a kami’s virtue, especially of one as old as Kazu, but Kazu had little for irritating humans who didn’t know an opportunity even if it bit them in the ass.  
He got up and using his most annoying voice, he threw an ultimatum to Sakurai-san. He was determined to implement it if Sho were to be stupid enough to refuse what was offered.  
\- Okay. Listen to me, Sakurai. You have one week. If you haven’t changed your mind about Masaki and decide to keep living the way you’ve been living and making yourself even more unhappy, the Water Traveller will be gone for good. You won’t ever see him again. Nor none of us.  
Sho gulped loudly.  
\- But if you change your mind and, most importantly, change your heart and realise Masaki is your happiness, he’ll be back to stay by your side for the rest of your life.  
Sho remained silent but nodded in understanding.  
\- One week. - Repeated the kami.

Just as he had arrived, Kazu kami disappeared into the night, leaving Sho with the need of a strong drink. He walked towards the bar but stopped himself by one of the balconies in the house. He opened the glass doors and stepped outside, the heavy rain falling on him. He let himself be soaked by it while his lips mumbled a name.


	8. I Seek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of Sakumoto here as well. But it all makes sense in the end.

Sho was more confused than ever. He needed answers but he didn’t know where to find them. He hadn’t come back to work yet and the ultimatum the kami had given him was hanging over his head. He was desperately looking in the internet about Water Travellers but couldn’t find anything concrete. Lots of legends about sea monsters, about sirens and the water maidens of Celtic traditions but no word on the type he had encountered. He had even thought of visiting the myths and legends department of Keio to talk to some scholars, but deemed it a bad idea. 

 

That afternoon, Hayano was driving him to his appointment with Dr. Asai. Sho observed the busy Tokyo streets through the car window, a tiny part of him hoping to catch a glimpse of a distinctive black haired man smiling up at the sky. But the glimpse his eyes caught were that of Fujisan in the distance. The mountain seemed to get nearer the more the car rode, Sho couldn’t stop staring at it, feeling as if it was calling him. 

 

\- Turn, Hayano. – He finally said – We’re going to Fujiyama.  
The chauffeur made a disapproving noise but did as told.  
\- Go the closest to it you can and drop me there.  
An urgency took over him. Sho knew he wasn’t going to find Masaki there but he was going to get answers. His family, partners and their advices be damned.

 

They arrived at a small ryokan on the mountain’ slope, it was getting dark and the air was chilling. Sho decided to spend the night there and informed Hayano about it. He told him he would call him in the morning if he needed him. He was sure Hayano was going to snitch about everything to his mother. Dr. Asai probably had already called her about her son missing the appointment. But he didn’t care. His eyes were full of the snow on top of the Fujisan, his lungs full of the pure oxygen and his brain full of a certain smile.

 

He checked in and before dinner, he took a stroll outside. He felt a familiarity there, something he had only felt a few times before. He felt at home. Just like he felt when he was with Masaki or how he had felt in the company of Jun-kun.  
The mountain looked menacing under the dim light of the evening. Sho stood outside looking at it, absent minded, memories rushing to the front of his brain.

 

“””""- I wish I could compose a symphony inspired in Fujisan.  
Those big eyes had a dreamy look Sho hadn’t seen before.  
\- You can if you study enough. – He replied.  
\- It’s not about studying, Sho-chan, it’s about the heart.  
Jun put his hand on his chest to demostrate his point.  
\- Everything comes from the heart, especially the arts.  
\- We’re going to get soaked wet and you’re getting all poetic.  
Storm clouds were threatening the two boys, descending from the mountain like dark knights ready to slay them.  
\- You are thick headed, Sakurai, this is why you’ll never be happy.  
Sho looked hurt and Jun laughed, his crooked teeth making him even more beautiful.”””""

 

\- You were right, Jun-kun. – Sho whispered.  
The memories were getting painful so he came back to the ryokan to enjoy the splendid dinner they had prepared for him.

 

He woke up after a good night’ sleep with no dreams, bizarre or otherwise. He felt great and rejuvenated. The hotsprings were a delight and helped him to sleep. The food was delicious, the owners were some of the nicest people he had ever met, he wished he could stay there forever. He checked his phone which was buzzing with notifications, mainly calls from his mother, and put it on flight mode. After stuffing himself with the best breakfast ever, he left to visit Fujisan. He wasn’t equipped for a climbing so he walked until he found a spot to sit and talk to the mountain. He didn’t know if it was part of the recent happenings but, surprisingly, he was completely alone when he arrived to one of the shrines. Sho murmured to himself about how crazy it was but shouted it out:  
\- Okay. I need answers. Who is he? What are the Water Travellers? And why me?  
Silence engulfed him for a few minutes but, then, the ground began to shake. Sho’s first thought was that the volcano was erupting until he realised it was laughing. Fujisan was laughing at him.  
\- You have to be kidding me. –Sho murmured.  
\- Why are you asking me? – A deep voice replied. The same voice he had heard in his dream.  
\- Because I don’t know whom to ask. And you’re wise. Hell, you’re Fujiyama.  
The mountain laughed even harder.  
\- Ask Masaki. He’s the one with the answers.  
Sho felt like an idiot when he said: - I don’t know where he is. I kicked him out.  
Fujisan growled: - You humans always so stupid.  
Never a mountain had been so right.  
\- It’s complicated – Sho continued – I don’t know where to find him.  
Fujisan growled louder while Sho was thinking it was going to start fuming sooner or later.  
\- You haven’t looked properly, then. – Was his reply. – That’s all I’m saying. Other humans are approaching, you better leave.

The ground got still again and Sho heard the distant sounds of voices. He got up, walked in the direction of those voices and vowed to the tourists and guides that were trekking. He was going to resign himself, go back to the ryokan and call Hayano to pick him up when he remembered something. 

 

There was a clear pool of water in that temple where he and Jun had took refuge when the storm caught them years ago. They had looked at the circles the raindrops painted on the water and, later, had watched the little fishes swim merrily in it. Sho intuitively knew Masaki was there. He ran searching for somebody, anybody, to point him to the temple. Nobody he encountered seemed to know the location and Sho started to despair. He stopped, exhausted, lost, memories haunting him again.

 

“”””- Do you think it’s a trapped Yokai? – Jun-kun was staring at a grotesque rock who seemed to have one big eye and a open mouth.  
\- Could be. If Yokai were real. Jun, we have to find cover, the storm is getting heavier.  
Thunder and lighting were surrounding them, Sho was getting worried.  
\- We’ll catch a cold.  
Jun smiled: - Good. We’ll miss school.  
Sho scolded him. Jun hugged him.  
\- If lightning strike us, we’ll be trapped in stone forever. Like that Yokai.  
Sho smiled and hugged him tighter: - Don’t you ever change, Jun-kun.  
\- Look! – Jun let him go and pointed behind some trees – There’s a temple there!””””

 

That same trapped Yokai was now staring at an incredulous Sho Sakurai. He fell on his knees and looked beyond the trees with tears in his eyes. The temple was still there.

 

He ran as fast as he could towards the pool. The crystalline water sparkling with the sun rays, the fishes swimming merrily, the air filled with perfumes and the sweet music of the insects. He remembered Masaki’s words about the stars of the sea, closed his eyes and when he was going for the wish, a familiar voice woke him of his reverie.

\- There’s no need for it, I’m already here, Sho-chan.  
Sho smiled, happiness taking over his soul. Masaki smiled back at him.  
\- You found me.


	9. Akatsuki.

Sho and Masaki stared at each other for a long while, none of them knowing what to say or do. Sho finally broke the spell:  
\- I thought I had lost you.  
Masaki laughed:  
\- That’ll never happen.  
Sho couldn’t help but think about the ultimatum Kazu kami had given him. Nothing was secured, he was still in the middle of nowhere when it concerned his life and what he wanted to do with it. He was still confused about everything. Although he knew he needed Masaki, he didn’t know how to make changes.  
The Water Traveller stepped closer to the human.  
\- Does that mean I can go back with you? – He sounded shy.  
Sho felt like holding him but shook his head instead.  
\- No, no, no. There are so many things to do first. I have to clear my mind, to confront my life….  
Masaki took Sho’s hand.  
\- But I’m here to help you. That’s my mission.  
Sho smiled feebly and was about to speak when Masaki shushed him.  
\- Have you ever seen a lotus flower? – He asked.  
Sho twitched his nose.  
\- Of course.  
\- Which colour?  
Sho didn’t understand where the conversation was going but Masaki’s hand was warm on his and he could hear the gentle gushing of the water near them.  
\- I don’t remember. All, I think.  
\- You’re a red lotus, Sho-chan. Full of love and compassion. But you still have to emerge from the mud.  
Masaki looked him in the eyes. Those dark orbs contained a depth that Sho had imagined only existed in the deepness of the ocean. At the same time, they had innocence, not like that of a child but like that of the green valleys descending to the sea. He squeezed Masaki’s hand.  
\- I need to go now but I’ll be back. Wait for me here.  
He ran to the ryokan with a determined mind. Masaki was right, he needed to emerge from the muddy waters.

 

The Water Traveller sat leg crossed in front of the pool and listened attentively to the laughter of two teenage boys watching the fishes years ago. Jun-kun and Sho-chan’s happiness was encapsulated in that temple like songs in a record.

 

Sho was surprised to find Hayano inside the ryokan. The man seemed worried and nervous.  
\- Sakurai-san, your mother has been trying to contact you since early in the morning. Yukimura-san was rushed to the hospital.  
Sho felt a chill wind take over him. Hayano informed him Yukimura-san had had a heart attack and was in critical condition.

 

The chauffeur drove as fast as it was allowed to reach the hospital as soon as possible while telling him Sho’s mother was already there as well as Yukimura-san’s wife and daughter.  
Sho was starting to shake, he felt helpless. It was a repeat of what had happened almost 20 years ago when his father was rushed to the hospital. That day, Sho was buried in Jun’s arms somewhere in the city. When his mother could reach him, his father had already passed away. He never forgave himself for that. He wasn’t able to say goodbye, he wasn’t able to tell his father what he felt, what he wished, he wasn’t able to show his father how much he loved him. He pushed Jun-kun out of his life, kicked him out of his heart and became the youngest president of a company ever, helped by the steady hand of Yukimura-san. 

 

Once inside the hospital, Sho’s mother hugged him in despair. Fortunately, Yukimura-san was still alive but the prospects weren’t good. Ayaka, his daughter, was devastated while his wife was speaking to the doctors who were doing everything possible to save him.  
Sho had made a decision in the car. He was going to take the reings of the company again, he was going to be the business man he was destined to be and he was going to find a good girl to marry and form a family with. The kami and his ultimatum be damned. He was going to push Masaki away from him. There was other people in the world for the Water Traveller to help. His mother needed him, the Yukimura family needed him, his father would finally feel proud of Sho.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

The night was like the day in Tokyo with all the neon lights and all the people in the streets. Masaki was walking and observing everything. Smiling at some things that caught his attention, like litle moths gathering in front of a street lamp or mice running away from frightened pedestrians.

\- Summer is almost here.  
Masaki was seated on a park bench basking in the dawn. Kazu sat by his side. His boyish face towards the orangey sky.  
\- Things have taken an unexpected turn.  
Masaki sighed.  
\- I’ll have to go back down there. I told you he was difficult and now there’s no hope.  
Kazu shrugged and looked at the Traveller with fondness.  
\- Shinigamis are ready but they have the wrong date.  
The cynical heart of the kami broke a little when he saw the sadness in the eyes of his friend.  
\- It doesn’t matter. He hurt the one he loved before and he’s hurt himself many times. He’ll hurt me even if he loves me.  
Kazu, then, told him about the ultimatum and how he wasn’t going to give up on it.  
\- It’s up to you as much as it’s up to him.  
The rays of the sun were piercing through the leaves of the trees and caressing the faces of the two beings.  
\- He’s your One, Masaki. Don’t forget that.  
The Traveller tried to grab the sun rays with his hand.  
\- Humans are so unpredictable. I can’t extract the lotus from the mud, the lotus has to arise itself.  
Kazu got up off the bench, took a deep breath, looked at Masaki and said with a firm tone of voice:  
\- He will.

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

Sho was contemplating the dawn from the waiting room in the hospital. Yukimura-san was stable but the doctors were still cautious. His mother had gone home and he had promised her he would go back to work that same day.  
The rays of the sun were touching the big glass window in the waiting room. Sho put his hand on it trying to catch them but it was a futile task. He turned around and saw a familiar figure standing at the entrance.  
\- Your friend is going to live but you’re the one who’s dying. If you let Masaki go, you’ll be but a living dead.  
The kami was fed up.  
\- You are not from this world, you don’t understand anything. – Was Sho’s reply.  
Kazu kami snorted.  
\- Human arrogance, how sweet!  
Kazu got closer to Sho and faced him. He was a bit smaller than the human but Sho felt intimidated.  
\- I know everything about you. I know what happened when your father died. He died because it was his time and you didn’t learn the lesson. You threw it all away, hid in a shell and rotted. Same with the recent passing of your good friend. You still haven’t learnt the lesson.  
He paused, walked towards the entrance and continued:  
\- This is the last time you’re seeing me. The ultimatum is still on. Take it or leave it, but don’t blame anyone except you for what’s coming.  
With that, the kami disappeared. Sho fixed his eyes on the dawn again, its gloriousness like a promise that what was coming was luminous.


	10. Kazamidori

Everything was normal again. The perfection of an ordinary life, of a tidy office, of a clean house, of a job well done. The wind had settled, Summer was running towards the city, rain had stopped. Sho was back in the big concrete building, steering the chariot of his father’s company in the right direction. Yukimura-san was recovering, his daughter was now Sho’s new partner and he was the perfect son again. But the pain hadn’t gone away, the memories of the past and the present kept torturing him, the words of the kami drilling in his mind, Masaki’s presence still in his heart. Time was almost up. He had only one day to decide. 

 

The white top of the Fujiyama looked so gorgeous from the Izu lake. Masaki couldn’t help but smile at it. He had spent the last days in the lake, letting himself be comforted by the warm waters before returning to the bottom of the ocean. Sho hadn’t met with him again and he was sure he wasn’t going to. Kazu was wrong, as farfetched as the idea of a kami being wrong would seem. Sho wasn’t his One, if he were he would be by his side.  
The gentle breeze tousled his hair while he pondered: would it be the Northern wind the one to blow? Would it ice up Sho’ soul and banish him away? Or would it be the East wind? That which brought storms and pouring rain? Would it cleanse Sho’ soul and dissipate its sorrows? Masaki touched his own cheek, a tear was sliding down and he got a bit mad at himself. Then, he pointed a long finger at Fujisan.  
\- This is what happens for falling in love with a weather vane. And it’s all your fault!  
He could hear the laughter of the big mountain even underwater.

 

 

Sakurai Yoko’s birthday party was being a success. Despite everything that had happened with Yukimura-san’s illness, they decided to celebrate it anyway. Friends, family, partners and some of the best of the Tokyo society were gathered at the Sakurai mansion. Champagne, French cuisine and a birthday cake brought exclusively from Paris. Yoko was happy his son had returned to his senses and was enjoying himself. He was his usual chatty, charming self, pleasing the guests and negotiating new businesses for the company.  
They rejoiced when Yukimura-san scorted by his wife and daughter arrived to the party. He was in a wheelchair and looked weak but joyful.  
\- A Summer storm is coming but that won’t stop me. – He announced.  
Sho smiled and hugged him. Yukimura-san held his hand and told him: - We need to talk in private. It’s very important.  
Sho nodded and then made the necessary arrangements for an improvised meeting.  
Before walking to his father’s old bureau where he was going to meet Yukimura-san, Sho stood in the wide terrace at the back of the mansion. The sky was a grey mass. The East wind had brought clouds swollen with rain, clouds that were starting to thunder and throw lightning bolts down at the city. He drank the cup of champagne he was carrying and thought about a bright smile and the sweetest eyes he had ever seen. He was sure Masaki was inside those clouds and was going to fall down on his terrace.  
\- This is a good place for a meeting. No need for formalities.  
A servant had wheeled Yukimura-san to the terrace. Sho shrugged.  
\- It’s going to get a bit chilly with the storm. Your health….  
\- Don’t worry about my health. – Yukimura-san interrupted him. – The waiter is going to bring us more food and champagne. Let’s stay here.  
Sho grabbed one of the bamboo chairs and sat by the man. They observed how the first raindrops touched the ground while the sky was getting darker and more menacing.  
\- This house is beautiful, Sho-kun, full of good memories.  
\- Otousan was a man of taste.  
Yukimura-san looked at his young partner with softness, something he had never done. Sho realised the man was somehow different: it wasn’t only the obvious signs of his condition but the sternness in his face had disappeared.  
\- Precisely, I want to talk about your father.  
Sho got uncomfortable.  
\- You don’t like what you’re doing, do you?  
The question took him by surprise. Yukimura-san perceived his discomfort and made a gesture with his hand.  
\- I don’t want a partner who is unhappy with his work. Your father wouldn’t want a son and heir who doesn’t want to do what he is doing.  
Those words only made Sho panic even more.  
\- I’m doing my best, Yukimura-san, all those misbehavings of the past are over….  
The man shushed him.  
\- Let me explain. Your father wanted your happiness. Unfortunately, he died too soon….  
A loud thunder exploded and shook the core of Sho’s being.  
\- But I think I speak for him and I’m sure your mother will agree, he wouldn’t have wanted to see you like this.  
Sho couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was expecting Yukimura-san to tell him to resign and leave the company to capable hands. He wanted that, that’s all he wanted. He hated to be a business man, he hated to be what he was. He only wanted to run outside to let himself be soaked by the heavy rain. He wanted to scream Masaki’s name and run away with him to the bottom of the sea if that were necessary. But that would only taint his father’s name, that would only disappoint his father’s ghost even more.  
Yukimura-san read him like a book and took pity of him.  
\- I was about to die, Sho-kun. This may sound crazy, but I saw a shinigami by my side in the hospital bed. Then, I woke up and the doctors told me I was fine. I don’t know how many more years I have left to live but I’m going to live well. I’m retiring and spending the rest of my days with my wife.  
Sho got up, the sneering face of Kazu kami in his mind. He started to nervously walk around the terrace. The storm getting louder and stronger.  
\- Why don’t you do the same? Quit the company and live your life. Your mother will accept anything you decide to do as long as it makes you happy.  
Sho covered his face with his hands.  
\- I would like to have less responsibility, that’s true. But….  
Yukimura-san interrupted him again.  
\- What do you wanted to do when you were younger?  
Sho was shocked. Nobody had ever asked him that. He didn’t have an answer because he didn’t know it himself. Then, he remembered and laughed softly.  
\- I wanted to find El Dorado.  
Yukimura-san giggled and then coughed, which worried Sho.  
\- I’m fine, boy, I’m fine. It's easy, then, go find it.

Yoko Sakurai came to the terrace in a bit of a hurry.  
\- I need fresh air. It’s a wonderful party but it can get ovewhelming.  
She looked at the two men:  
\- So?  
\- I think Sho-kun and I have arrived to an agreement.  
Sho took his mother’s hands and looked her in the eyes.  
\- I love you, you know?  
\- I do, darling, I know.  
\- By the way – she continued – Wasn’t the musician Matsumoto-san one of your classmates in high school?  
Sho felt his knees buckling. He was getting dizzy and it wasn’t the champagne. He finally nodded shily.  
\- One guest just presented me with a recording of one of his compositions. A gorgeous piece named Lotus.  
Nausea, his head about to explode, the rain getting thinner and the sky clearing. Sho let go of his mother, composed himself and smiled.  
\- I need to go find someone. Excuse me.  
He exited the Sakurai mansion like a dragonfly. The afternoon sun reaching out to him inbetween the cracks in the clouds.


	11. Love Wonderland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's an epilogue because I needed to finish the story of all them.

Where to start? The clock was ticking, time was running out, the ultimatum hanging over his head like the scythe of a shinigami. Sho had to find Masaki, had to tell him he was the real important thing in his life. He wanted to spend the rest of his days with him, because Sho was happy with Masaki just like he had been happy years ago. 

He was running like a madman across the streets of Tokyo, checking the fountains and the pools the rain had left on the pavement. He thought about hiring a car and drive to the temple where he last met with him but he was so lost, so desperate. Then, he remembered the ocean, that place near his house where he used to go for a walk to clear his mind, the same place where Masaki had appeared that first time. He took a taxi and urged the driver to go as fast as possible. The man kept glancing at him on the rear mirror. Sho smiled at him:  
\- Yes, I’m crazy and I don’t mind.  
The man chuckled and then relaxed:  
\- Aren’t we all?

The ocean was still reeling from the storm. The lead coloured waves roaring, its white crests like kaijus of foam; the wind whistling in Sho’s ears; nothing romantic there. But Sho screamed Masaki’s name to the sea hoping for an answer. The sea seemed to get even more angry and spat out a million drops of salty water at him. Maybe he was already gone, he had promised Masaki he’d be back but he never did. Everything had happenned so quickly: Yukimura-san’s heart attack, his change of mind, his own realisation he was wasting his life.  
\- I can’t live without you – He whispered.  
The sound of hand clapping startled him.  
\- Finally! – That familiar, annoying voice approaching.  
Sho looked behind him to see Kazu kami seated on the sand with his usual sneering expression. He felt rage.  
\- You’re making fun of me! – he lashed out.  
\- Oi, human! I’m here to help you. Masaki is exactly where you left him. He’s waiting for you in the temple’s pool. Go, get him.  
Sho bowed down to apologise.  
\- I may be a brat but I always do what I preach. You are his One. You two deserve happiness and happiness will be granted.  
Sho opened his mouth to speak, he had so many questions. Kazu shook his head.  
\- I’m not the one you should be asking. Masaki has all you need to know.  
They said their goodbyes. Sho called another taxi on his phone. Before leaving, Kazu smiled at him, this time with genuine esteem.  
\- Tell Masaki I’ll be his friend forever. Remember that kamis and Travellers are around you.  
He disappeared in a swirl of smoke just like in animes. 

 

It was night when he arrived to the temple. The sky had cleared of clouds, the stars were shining and a half moon decorated the nocturnal landscape. The air had cooled off after the storm and the soil was wet and slippy. Lanterns illuminated the narrow path towards the pool and the woods. Sho walked with care, listening to the distant chants of the owls and the sweet whooshing of the water. He saw a figure in front of a tree, multitude of fireflies had gathered there to dance, that figure was giggling soundly at them. Sho’s heart skipped a beat, his Masaki was there, as promised. When the Traveller noticed his presence, he ran to him and took his hands.  
\- I wasn’t sure you’d come.  
Sho intetwined their fingers.  
\- I couldn’t let you go. So much has happened, but now I now what I want and it’s you. I have left the company. Yukimura-san’s daughter will take care of it, it’s what she always wished.  
Masaki giggled once more.  
\- And you and I know that one always has to do what one wishes.  
Sho nodded and continued:  
\- I’ll find other ways to earn a living. Teaching and showing kids the yokai trapped in stone seems a good idea.  
Sho laughed at Masaki’ surpised expression.  
\- I know what you mean. And I’m all for it. - He replied.  
Sho grabbed Masaki’s hand and started walking.  
\- Let’s go and spend the night inside the temple. Tomorrow, you’ll come with me home.  
Masaki stopped and let go of Sho’s hand.  
\- Does that mean we’ll be together forever? That you won’t go away ever again?  
Sho looked him in the eyes under the dim light of the lanterns. He was so beautiful, so pure. He caressed Masaki’s cheek with a shaky hand.  
\- This means that I need you. That I love you.  
Sho, then, put that hand around Masaki’s nape and moved their faces closer. He put his lips on those full, perfectly sculpted lips of the Traveller and kissed him with all his might. Masaki accepted the kiss fervently, knowing well he was going to change for all eternity. He moaned and wept into the kiss, he wasn’t a Traveller anymore but a full-fledged human being.

 

They laid on a big futon inside the temple but none of them could really sleep. They hugged and Sho put his head on Masaki’s chest, listening to the beating of that human heart.  
\- I can hear the blood in my veins. I sense things differently now. I won’t be able to travel through water anymore. I’ll get old and I’ll die. Just like you.  
Sho hugged him tighter.  
\- Why me?  
\- The music of your soul woke me up. I was alone down in the ocean. I saw you and fell in love. The mission of the Travellers is to help humans. Sometimes love comes and love transform us.  
Sho kissed him on the forehead. Love had awoken the lotus.

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

Summer came and a couple of young men were guiding little kids through the forests near the Fujiyama to teach them about the rocks and stones found there. The children cheered every time the men pointed at a yokai solidified in a rock. Summer came and a couple of young men bathed in the blueness of the ocean, one of them was a very good swimmer and had myriad of offers to teach children to swim.

Summer came and with it the Tanabata matsuri. The two young men smiled at the god and goddess meeting that night in the sky.  
\- After all, we were separated for so long. – Said Sho while putting his head on Masaki’ shoulder.  
\- But we finally got together. – Replied his companion.  
\- We don’t need to make a wish.  
\- We have all our wishes fullfilled.  
They kissed under the Milky Way while Fujisan laughed at them.

 

...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 

EPILOGUE.

 

Matsumoto Jun smiled through the car window when he spotted the mountain in the distance. It brought so many memories, some of them were painful but the joyful ones overpowered the sorrow. He was a newlywed and was about to premiere his first big musical composition in the Tokyo Budokan, appropriately titled Symphony of the Fujiyama. It told all those stories of happiness, hurt and pain he had lived under the influence of the mountain. He held his wife’s hand and squeezed it. The taxi was taking them to the concert hall to start supervising the orchrestra and the rehearsals. He lived more in Europe now than in Japan but it was wonderful to return home and be greeted with so much enthusiasm. He was in his early thirties, was very handsome and an excellent conductor, the world loved him. He practically had it all. He sighed, closed his eyes and opened them again when the car stopped at a traffic light.  
He suddenly let go of his wife’s hand and stuck his face to the window with an atonished expression. Two men were walking by hand in hand, laughing shamelessly. One of them was tall, a black fringe falling over his forehead and dressed a little bit extravagantly; the other one was dressed more casually and looked great, Jun couldn’t forget that beautiful face even if he wished to. They passed by the car while Jun kept gazing at them, they were oblivious to anything else but themselves.  
\- Is everything alright, darling? – Jun’s wife asked. The engine ran again and the car started moving. Jun smiled at Gemma, relief and nostalgia reflected in his eyes.  
\- I think I saw someone. Somebody I hadn’t seen in years. – He wavered a little but finally added – He’s happy. And I’m glad.  
His wife nodded and kissed him on the cheek.  
The car drove past the couple. Jun didn't look back. He closed his eyes again unable to stop smiling. His teeth weren't crooked anymore, he had fixed them as soon as he had earned some money. But his smile had the same innocence of that kid who was loved so much by a certain Sakurai Sho.


End file.
